Fed should be cautious amid uncertainty, Barkin says
Although inflation is coming down, the Federal Reserve Bank should exercise caution amid economic and geopolitical uncertainty, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Tuesday while addressing a Rotary Club of Richmond meeting. The economy is in a good place, Barkin said, citing the 2.5% growth in the nation’s gross domestic […]
Va. economic outlook is positive, says Weldon Cooper Center forecast
Virginia’s long-term economic outlook is positive, according to the University of Virginia’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service’s inaugural economic forecast released Monday. Weldon Cooper economists predict Virginia’s gross domestic product in 2025 will increase 2.4%, outpacing national GDP growth. The U.S. GDP’s growth is expected to be 1.9% this year, slower than the 2.5% [&helli[...]
US trade war could raise prices, economists say
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau managed to separately negotiate a monthlong pause on Monday with U.S. President Donald J. Trump on a trade war that was scheduled to begin on midnight Tuesday. However, as of late Monday afternoon, the Trump administration was still prepared to impose a 10% tariff on […]
Financial Services: Signs of health
What’s that we hear? Is the economy growing healthier? It’s getting stronger for sure, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said in January during the 2024 Financial Forecast event co-hosted in Richmond by the Virginia Bankers Association and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Inflation was 3.4% in December 2023, inching closer […]
Fed’s Fifth District economy sees mild expansion
Economic activity in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) expanded mildly in recent weeks, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is based on anecdotal information about economic conditions gathere[...]
Low inventory, high interest rates strap Va. housing market
Homebuyers in Virginia are continuing to feel the strain of low inventory and high interest rates. The number of active listings on the market is shrinking, and fewer new listings are coming on the market. Despite a brief uptick in inventory at the beginning the year, about 67% of the state’s counties and cities had […]
Barkin: Raising interest rates is correct course
As inflation remains high and the fallout from recent bank failures seems contained, the Federal Reserve Bank has good reason to continue raising interest rates, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Thursday in a speech to the Virginia Council of CEOs at the University of Richmond. “It is worth remembering that not […]
Barkin: Inflation improving but not yet low enough
With inflation decreasing but still not at its 2% target, the Federal Reserve still needs “to stay on the case,” Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Thursday at a conference hosted in Richmond by the Virginia Bankers Association and the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. Inflation continued to slow in December […]
Barkin: To address inflation, U.S. must rethink labor
As the U.S. moves to a short-labor environment, it will be necessary for businesses, governments and nonprofits to reassess their approach to labor, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President and CEO Tom Barkin said Friday in Richmond. Speaking at the Virginia Chamber’s 2022 Virginia Economic Summit and Forum on International Trade, Barkin said that although […]
Fed’s Barkin asks, ‘What’s ‘normal’ anymore?’
The question Tom Barkin is asked the most these days is when the economy will return to normal. The president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has a caution for those who may be wishing for the perceived stability of the pre-pandemic economy. “After two-and-a-half years of instability, we’re all ready to […]
Va. CEOs say labor shortages, inflation hurting business
Labor shortages and inflation are negatively impacting Virginia businesses, and expectations for sales, employment and capital spending are less positive than during the previous two quarters, according to the third quarter CEO Economic Outlook Survey by the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business and the Virginia Council of CEOs (VACEOs). More than 80% of […]
Fifth District economy little changed since August, Fed says
The economy in the Federal Reserve’s Fifth District (a multistate region including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Maryland) has been largely unchanged since August, according to the latest edition of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book, released Wednesday. Published eight times per year, the Beige Book is based on anecdotal information about economic […]